Abstract
M.A.
This study uses the salutogenic model as a departure point to focus on the sense of coherence (SOC) of women who had to overcome a crisis. Stressors come in many forms but this study focuses specifically on the husband's extramarital affair. After (or during) the initial shock the woman has to make a decision regarding her marriage. Women were considered in regard to the decisions they made, namely to stay in the marriage or to leave it. The first hypothesis stated that the SOC of the women who decided to leave the relationship would be higher than
that of the other group. The second hypothesis stated that there would be differences amongst the three components of the SOC (meaningfulness, manageability and comprehension) for the two groups. Meaningfulness would measure higher for the group that decided to end their marriages. Manageability and comprehension would measure higher for the group that decided to stay in their marriages. These different components were quantitatively measured using Antonovsky's SOC-scale. A biographical questionnaire and a qualitative question regarding the reason for the decision that was made, was also included. Although the two hypotheses were not supported, important findings did emerge from the study. The women that left their marriages were found to be more satisfied with their decision than the other group. Women's SOC who felt satisfied or very satisfied with their decision measured higher than those that felt neutral, dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their decision. This suggests that it is more important that women make decisions that are
congruent with their values and views of the marriage, than whether the decision was to terminate or continue with the marriage. This could be valuable information for practitioners working in the field. In addition, it was also found that women who got married at 22 years or older, had a higher SOC than women who got married before they were 22. This suggests that SOC continues to develop with maturity and challenges the notion that SOC ceases to develop into adulthood. Future longitudinal research covering the changes of SOC during the lifespan of a relationship would probably shed light on this issue.